By David Oba,
Ph.D
In Nigeria’s present situation of
increasing road risks and dangers, the statistics on road fatalities and
injuries are scary. Going by the World Health Organisation (WHO) records
on global Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs), Nigeria is rated second on the top of
the ladder. This was confirmed in 2012 by the then Health Minister, Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu when he declared that Nigeria has the second highest road
traffic accident fatalities among the 193 countries in the world. In
2009, Dr. John Akanya, the then Director-General, Standard Organisation of
Nigeria affirmed that Nigeria records 34,000 deaths annually on the
highways as a result of burst tyres and in 2003, the then Minister of Works,
Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe stated that 80 people die daily on Nigerian
federal roads. As much as these records may not match the official data on RTIs
from the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), Nigeria’s regulating agency on road
safety, the fact remains that most road crashes are unreported and one
preventable road death is highly unnecessary.
Specifically, the number of deaths
and injuries recorded at the spot of road crashes in Nigeria has become very
alarming and on daily basis, media reports reveal many incidents of dead road
crash victims being transported to the mortuaries or FRSC’s rescue team
arriving at such scenes only to certify death of victims. The stories are
endless especially in a country like Nigeria where every fifteen minutes of
everyday, officials of the FRSC are faced with the challenge of getting to the
scene of a road crash as quickly and safely as possible. Indeed, the recent
gory pictures involving the death of six students of Ibadan Polytechnic in a
road crash along Ibadan-Oyo road which trended in the media with helpless
bystanders sympathetically watching the victims die while awaiting late arrival
of emergency medical services is very depressing. As if this was not
enough agony, in less than twenty four hours, precisely on February 9th 2016,
the popular Nigerian blogger Linda Ikeji, exposed to the world pictures of four
Reverend sisters that were crushed to death by a truck of a bottling company
along the Ikom-Ogoja road whilst first responders to the crash scene were just
there looking at the victims with no knowledge of what to do even when the
victims were not yet certified dead. Sadly, these incidents are highly
preventable deaths but for very limited opportunities to timely administration
of first help measures to the blameless victims. Without a doubt, the road
crisis situation has made every road user in Nigeria to become a potential
victim of road crash and road travel, a major prayer point for many Nigerians
that believe in divine intervention for addressing their very fearful
situations.
Despite the excellent qualities of
the officers and management of the FRSC which have yielded success in many
aspects of road safety, evidence abound that on rescue operations for road
crash victims, it is not yet possible for any National Road Safety Agency in
Africa to be at the scene of every road crash in a timely approach to offer
First Aid measures because of insufficient rescue facilities, logistics
hindrances and funding inadequacies. Unfortunately, precious time lost
can mean the difference between life and death for someone waiting for
help. Thus, the recent call on the management of the FRSC by the Minister
of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire to make persons who apply for driver’s
license for the first time to undergo a ‘First Aid course’ before being issued
a license is highly remarkable and worthy of immediate implementation.
According to the Africa Zone of the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), first aid is a simple yet radical response that
would dramatically cut Africa’s rising road deaths. For emphasis, First Aid is
a global best practice for reduction of deaths and injuries on the spot of
accidents. Credible statistics from the IFRC indicate that 57% of deaths from
traffic collisions occur in the first few minutes of the crash and up to 85% of
preventable pre-hospital deaths may be due to airway obstruction which often
occurs before the arrival of emergency services. This wealth of medical
evidence suggests that a `golden hour' does exist for casualties after a road
crash’. Within this time, road crash victims stand a greater chance of survival
and a reduction in the severity of their injuries, provided, first aid can be
immediately and properly administered by even a bystander.
Consequently, the recommendation of
First Aid knowledge for all drivers by the Minister of State for Health is
timely and comes at a period that there is great need for National Road Safety
Agencies in Africa to address their weak rescue capacity through a strategic
partnership approach of collective responsibility by all road users. Realistically,
compulsory first aid training for drivers as suggested by the Health Minister
is not only an innovation in public health management to mitigate human
damage especially on the roads but a first real bid to give impetus to an
earlier endorsement by the Nigerian Government on compulsory training of
drivers on first aid and mandatory carrying of first aid boxes in all vehicles
during “meeting of experts” at African Road Safety Conference, 2007 a.k.a
“Accra Declaration”, a WHO rated most visible credible and concerted effort of
African countries to develop unique strategies for reducing road traffic
fatalities by half in 2020.
Besides, training of drivers on
first aid, the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to institute a public
First Aid training programme for all road users at little or no cost is
necessary. This is where road safety NGOs with demonstrated capacity would be
expected to bring together their respective resources and capabilities to
create first aid awareness and assist the FRSC to train road users on First Aid
application by promoting voluntary service and community responsibility. Such a
programme if implemented, will serve as a quick impact initiative of the
present Government in meeting the expectations of Nigerians on improved road
safety measures because the number of people who die as a result of road
traffic injuries and other related accidents would be considerably reduced if
first callers to accident scenes are able to act effectively before the arrival
of medical emergency services.
Thus, prompt implementation of the
proposal by the Honourable Health Minister for the FRSC to include First Aid
training in its new drivers’ license scheme will not only be a quick win for
Nigeria on road fatality reduction but would fit into the ongoing WHO/UN global
collaboration on 2011-2020 decade of action on road safety, a vehicle for
attracting support of International developmental partners.
In conclusion, given that First Aid
is something all Nigerians may need one day or the other, it is therefore
important to state that any delay in the implementation of this recommendation
on compulsory First Aid knowledge by drivers would certainly expose the lip
service attention the Nigerian government pays to the safety of its citizens and
residents. Indeed, it is high time this disturbing issue of poor rescue
operations for road crash victims is addressed as a collective responsibility
and the present Nigerian government in its change mantra must recognise the
need to curb preventable road deaths through effective collaborations. The
competence of the FRSC’s focused Management as led by Corps Marshal Boboye
Oyeyemi is not in doubt but its ability to fulfill its road safety mandate in
attending to road crash victims should lie in expanding community rescue
efforts as recommended by the Health Minister, as no single agency with limited
resources like the FRSC can serve all road victims in need of urgent attention
(Oba is Co-ordinator, PATVORA
Initiative, a road safety NGO & Country contact Person, WHO/ NGO road
safety global collaboration.)
The death of the four nuns and their pictures shown on many blogs are very depressing especially with people busy taking pictures instead of taking steps that might have aided their resuscitation where possible. I think the Nigerian government should give First aid for all Nigerians quick attention. May souls of these very innocent Reverend Sister rest in the bosom of God.
ReplyDeleteFunmi Olayinka
Well done analysis but what next? Will the Nigerian government ever take necessary steps that will help stop the unnecessary carnage on the roads? The real solution to saving lives on the bad roads is to ensure that even when accidents happen, lives are saved through quick response.
ReplyDeleteBuchi Okoro
The statistics are sordid especially given that we are talking about human lives and not goats or chickens. FRSC must sit up!
ReplyDeleteFirst Aid training for Nigerians should not be a task for the FRSC only but let them initiate it and I believe there exist local and International organisations that would support.
ReplyDeleteThis is just all about common sense and I commend the Author, Dr. Oba for letting us know that a decision on first aid was taken in 2007, almost a decade ago but for negligence by the Nigerian authorities. The need for first aid on Nigerian roads cannot be overemphasized because road travel has become a very fearful task because of poor roads and bad drivers.
ReplyDeleteI had a couple of lessons with them. The coach from Port Macquarie Driving School was totally prompt, and a very positive. This one time I drove from the start, navigated heavy traffic and even practiced on hills.
ReplyDelete